Behold the Lamb of God! These remarkable words by John the Baptist announced the beginning of a new age. "Are you the one?" Imagine how tempting it must have been to follow his fallen nature as it spoke within him - "say yes." But John demonstrated two things in these words. First that he was a man who had embraced his humanity in the clearest of terms. The fallen nature reasons that we are the center of the universe and that our lives are the core feature of what makes up reality.
Yet, in truth we are but a creature, though uniquely fashioned by God to reflect Him, we cave into our self-importance so easily that we lose touch with the creator who made us and commissioned us to reflect His glory. John, though human and failed, overcame this inner passion in his announcement - behold the Lamb of God. Second, John played his role in announcing the beginning of a new age. The age of Satan's rule was ending. The new age of the Messiah was breaking into history.
This was the context of the day in which John lived. Not only were the leaders and people asking him questions of who he thought he was, but they were also, in earnest, wondering if this could possibly be the One who would deliver them from the bondage of Satan and bring on the reign of the Messiah and the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. This is our context today and this is our challenge today. Sadly, the secular world has no concept of the Kingdom of God. Sadder still, the Church in many places has also lost the understanding of this truth. Today we will seek to reignite the understanding and passion for the Kingdom of God and the One who both initiated it and continues to drive it forward.
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